General information

Benchmarking

References to assist you in benchmarking your library against current national school library surveys include:

Biannual survey which appears in the magazine, School Library Journal; the newest installment of the survey appears in the October 2003 issue, titled "The SLJ Spending Survey," by Dr. Marilyn L. Miller and Dr. Marilyn L. Shontz. For expenditures, in a variety of categories, see Table 6. The survey indicates an average Total Materials Expenditures (TME) of $23.76 per pupil for elementary schools, $22.92 per pupil for middle/junior high schools, and $32.78 per pupil for senior high schools.

The U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) report,

Opportunities for External Funding

Improving Literacy Through School Libraries Grants The U.S. Department of Education's Improving Literacy through School Libraries (LSL) program promotes comprehensive local strategies to improve student reading achievement by improving school library services and resources. New eligibility data are posted annually.